The Good Left Undone
by TheWitch'sDorothy
Summary: Set 50 years after Out of Oz. Oz is once again under the rule of a dictator, known as the Eminence. When Aurelia visits the Eminence's palace and finds a young man being tortured, she attempts to stop it- and finds out she has a talent for sorcery. Forced to flee, Aurelia will soon be forced to choose which is greater: her sister's life or the future of Oz? I'm bad at summaries...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I won't be updating my other chaptered stories as much, just as a warning. This is my little brainchild that I've been wanting to write forever, so please read and review and bear with me!**

"Miss Aurelia, your parents and sister are waiting at the door." The servant's voice came through the door of her bedroom, slightly muffled by the thick wood. Aurelia sighed and took one last look at herself in the mirror that occupied part of the wall near her closet. A tall girl of eighteen with raven hair and eyes of a dark brown color looked back at her, dressed in a white blouse, which was hidden under a simple white jacket with navy blue trim, a pleated navy blue skirt with a diagonal hemline that fell to the tops of her shins, and black flats. Her hair was pulled back from her face and fell in gentle waves around her shoulders. A thin gold chain with a minuscule rose pendant hung around her neck. Her sister had given it to her for her latest birthday and she treasured the necklace, taking it off only to bathe. She looked pretty but otherwise unremarkable, she thought. A face that you'd remember until a more beautiful girl crossed your path.

Aurelia shook her head slightly to keep away these thoughts and, drawing herself up, exited her bedroom. Giving a grateful nod to the servant (whose name she couldn't remember for the life of her), she descended the pale marble steps to the main hall, where the rest of her family was waiting: her mother, her father, and her younger sister, Glenda.

"It's about time!" Glenda remarked, giving her sister a teasing smile. "I thought I was going to die of old age waiting for you." Glenda was Aurelia's pride and joy, the person who gave her the ability to keep going through the day if she ever felt sad or depressed. With her light blonde hair and lively sky blue eyes, she was Aurelia's opposite in looks but rarely in opinion. Though they were three years apart, their parents liked to joke that the two were more like twins. Glenda was wearing a short-sleeved blouse of a pale blue that matched her eyes almost exactly, a knee length white skirt, and white flats. Around her neck was a necklace that matched her sister's, except for that instead of in gold, it was in silver.

"We both know the only reason you're ready before me is that you started around an hour earlier," Aurelia replied with a smile as she came up beside her. Glenda gave a gasp of mock offense and shock, and promptly smacked her sister on the arm.

"Girls, girls…" Aurelia and Glenda's mother, Selene, said in a good-natured but slightly reproving tone. A dignified woman in her forties dressed in a long white gown, it was easy to tell when looking at Selene where Glenda had gotten her looks. After speaking with her however, it became clear that it was she that Aurelia's temperament came from. Their father, Trystan, was more easygoing. He was also in his forties and currently the Captain of the Guard for the Eminence. His dark brown hair was gelled and brushed so that it lay flat, and he was wearing his green and gold dress uniform. Aurelia and Glenda had always thought, especially when they were younger, that their father was one of the most handsome and dashing men in Oz when he wore that uniform. Their father was a good man, kind and just, never discriminating against people for any reason. And of course, like his wife, he loved both of his daughters to death. It was because of him that they were visiting the palace today, something that was a rare treat. Aurelia doubted that they would get a glimpse of the Eminence though, since barely anyone ever did, except for her father and a few of the Eminence's most trusted advisors.

"Now that we're all here, let's go," Trystan said, adjusting the lapels of his emerald green and gold uniform before opening the door gallantly for the others, who exited the magnificent house. As they approached the carriage, Glenda linked her arm through Aurelia's and the two sisters entered the carriage ahead of their parents, taking their seats on the cushioned benches. The carriage began to move away as her parents closed the door, picking up speed as it left the large property and moved onto the more open road. Aurelia couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. She hadn't been to the Emerald City in years; in fact the last time she remembered going was for her tenth birthday. She watched out the window, the Gillikinese countryside becoming a blur of greens, purples, reds, and pinks, the three latter colors being those of the most abundant flowers that grew in the wild hills and fields of Gillikin.

"Now girls, you need to be on your best behavior-" their father began, only to receive eye-rolls and sighs of exasperation from his two daughters.

"Father, we _know_," Aurelia said. "We're much older than the first time we went to the Emerald City; we know how to behave!" Defeated, their father nodded and turned to his wife, striking up a conversation about a topic that interested neither Aurelia nor Glenda: Animal rights. Aurelia didn't think there was much need to discuss it; there were so few Animals left in Oz anyway. In her history textbooks, it was told that there were once thousands of Animals in Oz, that they inhabited the cities and lived alongside the Ozians. To Aurelia, the entire idea sounded slightly ridiculous, considering that the only Animals left were either servants or now lived in Munchkinland or the Glikkus. His Eminence had made sure of that.

His Eminence had come into power twenty years ago, according to the texts, taking Oz out of the dark age it had fallen into under Ozma Tippetarius, though the books never specifically mentioned what about the Ozma's rule had made it so unjust and cruel; in any case, Ozma Tippetarius now languished in a cell in Southstairs. Not much was known about his Eminence's life prior to his ascent to leadership, but his glorious takeover of the Emerald City and all of Oz was known as the "Second Coming of the Wizard." He now ruled justly and fairly over all of Oz, a fearless leader who identified to the heroes of the past: Commander Cherrystone and of course, the Wonderful Wizard himself. This history books also extensively told of the Wizard's reign, and how the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good ended it, both of who were wicked and not very good at all. They had prevented the Wizard from putting into action his plan to end subversive Animal activity, which according to the books would've single-handedly prevented the majority of the events that followed. It told how the Wicked Witch had green skin, an outward manifestorium of her twisted nature, however since her soul was so unclean from all of her wicked deeds, she was melted by a bucket of water. Glinda the Good however, continued her anti-Wizard deeds until her death, exiling the Wizard from Oz and taking part in other rebel activities until the exalted man himself, Commander Cherrystone, put her in Southstairs.

Personally, Aurelia thought that some of these details might have been exaggerated, particularly the ones about the two witches. She had read in another book that she had found hidden deep within the family's library that the Witch had once been accepted to Shiz University and was a trusted assistant to the decorated biology professor, Doctor Dillamond. She even had a name: Elphaba Thropp. The book had also told of her friendship with one Galinda Upland, the girl who become Glinda the Good. Her father had always told her and Glenda folk stories about the two women and their friends and she had loved them, by extent loving Glinda and Elphaba. Aurelia shook her head slightly and looked out the window once more. After all, she thought, both textbooks and her father had been wrong before. But something in her gut naturally inclined her to believe her father, though whether it was because she enjoyed the stories or the fact that she subconsciously knew he was telling the real truth, she wasn't quite sure.

"We're here!" Their father announced grandly as the carriage rolled through the gate to the Emerald City. "Welcome to the ruling city of Oz!" Glenda and Aurelia gazed out of the windows in wonder at the enormous buildings surrounding them, the majority of which were of a pure emerald color.

"They're as tall as Quoxwood trees!" Glenda gasped, poking her older sister repeatedly in the arm in her excitement. "Don't you think?" Aurelia nodded wordlessly, the spectacle that was the Emerald City taking her breath away. The evening sunlight glinted off of the buildings, lending to them undertones of gold, violet, and pink. It looked like a fairy-tale city or a set for a play; something that was real and tangible but at the same time too beautiful to touch. Inhabitants of the city strode in and out of shops and sat at outdoor cafés, all of them well dressed, most wearing some article of clothing that was a shade of green. After about ten minutes, the carriage pulled up to the gates of the Eminence's palace. The palace was a huge fortress of a building, surrounded by a high stone wall and built out of gray brick, which Aurelia thought was more than a little odd considering that the rest of the city was green. Emerald stained-glass windows were set at intervals in the walls, throwing green shadows onto the brick and grounds of the palace. After the driver said a few words to the guards in front of the gate, the gate swung open and they moved up the front walk to the doors of the palace. The carriage driver opened the door and they all exited, getting their first real looks at the magnificent building.

"Oh my Oz," Aurelia whispered, completely in awe. Her eyes widened at the thought of entering the palace. She felt small and rather insignificant standing in front of it. Next to her, Glenda was similarly transfixed, staring up at the palace with a look of wonder. Their parents laughed gently at their daughters' awe, before telling them that they should go inside. As they approached the steps the grand door swung open, revealing a great hall. At the end of the hall was a second, smaller pair of doors.

"Those doors lead to the Eminence's chamber," Trystan explained to his daughters, who nodded eagerly. Just then, a palace guard came up to them, dressed in a long emerald jacket and matching pants.

"Captain Arduenna sir, his Eminence wishes to see you immediately. Your family has his Eminence's permission to explore the grounds until you return." Their father nodded, turning to face them.

"I'll only be a minute." With that, he followed the guard through the double doors and into the Eminence's hall. Aurelia watched him go, a faint sense of unease coming over her, though she didn't know why.

"I'll wait here for your father; why don't you girls go explore the gardens?" Selene suggested, looking at her daughters. Glenda gave a squeal of excitement and grabbed Aurelia's hand.

"Oh, you know I just love flowers! Come on!" She tugged Aurelia out the front doors and into the gardens that surrounded the palace. Laughing, Aurelia allowed herself to be pulled through the garden paths as her sister ran about in a kind of flower-induced frenzy. Suddenly, Glenda came to an abrupt halt in front of a small patch of roses. "Aren't they beautiful?" She asked quietly, leaning down to touch the petals gently, as though she were afraid that they might break. As she did this, Aurelia looked around silently, wanting to get a better idea of their surroundings, and saw a door set into the side of palace.

"What's that?" She asked, catching Glenda's attention. The blonde straightened up, following her sister's gaze.

"I don't know. Let's find out," her sister replied, skipping happily over to the door. Sighing good-naturedly, Aurelia followed. Her sister could be a bit over-the-top sometimes, but she loved her just the same. Her bubbliness made up for Aurelia's lack of it. Glenda arrived at the door a few steps ahead of her sister and pressed her ear against the door. "I hear voices coming from inside," she said, frowning. "One of them sounds like father's."

"Does the door open?" Aurelia asked, intruiged. She reached and tried the doorknob and to the everlasting surprise of both sisters, it swung open easily with barely a whisper. Exchanging a look, they crept inside, finding themselves in a short hallway.

"…Tell us." An unfamiliar voice, cold and calculating, said. Aurelia shivered at the sound of it, but curiosity got the better of her and she crept forward nonetheless. Glenda followed, her blue eyes wide.

"No," came the reply. It sounded like the voice of a young man and he sounded as though he was in pain. There was the brutal sound of flesh hitting flesh and of a person falling to the floor.

"Easy, Mark…" Their father's voice came in a warning tone. Aurelia stood now at the edge of the hall, barely hidden in the shadows. As she peered out into the surrounding room, a chill swept down her spine. The room was a large space made of white marble, with a large throne at the front. She could see her father standing to the right of the throne but couldn't see the throne's occupant (though she supposed that it was the Eminence himself). Two men were holding the arms of a third, who looked to be around her age or a little older. He had unruly brown hair that had a reddish tint to it, and grey eyes the color of a raincloud. Dressed in a light green button down shirt and dark green pants with brown suspenders, he had a dark bruise on his cheekbone and was staring angrily at the throne.

"Are you going to answer?" the voice asked again. The man shook his head and at the gesture of her father, one of the men holding him flung him to the ground. Glenda gasped and covered her eyes, while Aurelia watched on, transfixed in horror. The guards began to hit and kick the man, making connections with his ribs and face. He lay huddled on the ground, his hands trying to cover his head.

"Someone has to do something!" Aurelia hissed, making to step forward. Glenda caught her wrist and turned her around. Aurelia saw that her sister had tears shining in her eyes and her heart softened just a little.

"No, it's too dangerous, there's nothing we can-" But she tugged her wrist out of Glenda's grasp and stepped out into the room. Raising her arms in front of her, palms out, she cried,

"STOP!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to ComingAndGoingByBubble, elphiegirl, Elphie Bubble, and xMegxGiryx who read and reviewed the last chapter! Without, further ado, here is the new chapter! (Don't forget to read and review!) :D**

The lights flickered wildly and a fierce wind began to blow through the throne room at Aurelia's words. Her eyes widened as she felt a rush of power unlike anything she'd ever felt before run through her. She saw the guards jerked away from the man as though an invisible hand was pulling them, slamming them into opposite walls of the room. Her father was picked up and thrown against the opposite wall. Panic tore through her and she closed her palms into fists, dropping them to her sides. The lights returned to normal and she ran out into the room, not caring who saw her. The man was just pulling himself up and he stared at her with wide eyes.

"What did you just do?" He breathed.

"I don't know!" she responded quickly, allowing some of her fear to creep into her voice. She ran over to her father, kneeling beside him and grabbing his wrist, checking for a pulse. It was there; thank Oz. Aurelia allowed herself to relax a little, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. What had just happened? She wasn't sure, but whatever it was, she had caused it. She felt tears of panic blur her vision and a lump in her throat. She just wanted to go home, to forget this ever had happened. She felt the man kneel next to her, looking down at her father.

"Why do you care about him so much? He's just another one of the Eminence's pawns," he remarked bitterly. Aurelia turned to face him, anger writ clearly in every aspect of her expression.

"He's my father." She stood up quickly and began to walk away, when the man grabbed her wrist. She froze and turned to look at him, confusion, anger, fear, and uncertainty in her expression.

"You can't just walk out of here; I thought you'd be smart enough to know that! After what you've done here, even if you don't know what you did or how you did it, they won't just let you leave. At best, they'll keep you under house arrest, at worst…" He trailed off, his gray-blue eyes boring into hers. With his hair falling messily on his forehead and a thin, diagonal line of blood on his bruised cheek, he looked less like an enemy of Oz and more a like a boy in over his head. Aurelia softened just a bit, but jerked her wrist out of his grasp all the same.

"Well then, what exactly do you propose I do?" She asked coldly, staring back at him. "My father is unconscious along with two guards, I have no idea what happened to the Eminence, and my sister-" Aurelia gasped, suddenly remembering Glenda back in the hallway. "Glenda!" Heart pounding, she ran over to the hall only to find Glenda on the lying floor, out cold. For the second time in a matter of minutes, Aurelia felt tears stinging at her eyes as she knelt down next to Glenda. Her sister's blue eyes were closed and her breathing shallow, a trickle of blood coming down from her scalp and tracing its way down her cheek like a crimson teardrop. Taking Glenda's limp hand in her own, Aurelia bent over her, tears falling from her face and onto her sister's. "Glenda, I'm so sorry…" Silent sobs shook her body as she bent her head, a wave of guilt and self-loathing washing over her.

"How old is she?" The boy asked from behind her and Aurelia started, having practically forgotten that he was there. Unlike before he didn't sound accusing or impatient, his voice quiet and gentle, as though he understood what she felt.

"F-Fifteen," Aurelia choked out. She was Glenda's older sister; it was her responsibility to protect her, not to harm her! She knew that she would never forgive herself for this even if though wasn't intentional. She stayed that way, hunched over her sister and cradling her gently in her arms, until a sudden pounding on the door jolted them.

"Open this door!" A guard's voice called roughly from just outside. "Or we will be forced to break it down!" Aurelia didn't move, not caring if they found her. All she cared about was Glenda. The boy roughly grabbed her shoulder, jerking her away suddenly.

"Come on! Do you want to be arrested?!" He hissed, once again enclosing her wrist in a vice-like grip. "You can't take back what you did, and you won't be doing anyone any favors if you get caught. Now hurry up!" As much as she didn't want to, Aurelia had to admit that the boy had a point. It would only cause her family more heartache and shame if she were arrested, especially for injuring her father and sister.

"But what about-" He cut across her, his voice returning to its impatient tone.

"The guards will find her and make sure that she gets taken to a hospital. Now come on, already!" Aurelia took one last look at Glenda, capturing every detail in her mind in case that this was the last time she would ever see her in person again. With that, he pulled her down the hall and out of the door, ignoring the shouts of the guards as they ran through the still-open gates, down the path, and into the Emerald City.

* * *

"Glenda…Glenda, wake up darling..." Her mother's soft voice, thick with unshed tears, penetrated through Glenda's mind like a hot knife through butter. After a few moments of struggling with her still-hazy mind, she opened her eyes and her mother's concerned face came into view. She was wearing a much simpler sky blue dress now, and despite her makeup; dark circles were still faintly visible under her bright blue eyes.

"Mother?" She croaked feebly, inwardly wincing at the rough sound of her own voice. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she found that she was in her room, the familiar light blue paint on the walls and deep mahogany furniture comforting her somehow. With a sobbing sigh of relief, Selene pulled her youngest daughter into her arms for a hug, stroking her wavy blonde hair as she did. Releasing her after a few minutes, she pressed a light kiss to Glenda's cheek and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, carefully avoiding contact with her daughter's bandaged forehead, lest it start bleeding again.

"Father…" Glenda managed, sitting up against numerous pillows. "Is he alright?" Her mother nodded, tucking in the blankets around her.

"He, like you, had a concussion but is back to his usual self now," she replied easily, looking at Glenda's face tenderly. Her daughter had been unconscious for five days; both they and the doctors had started to lose hope that she would ever wake up. What puzzled the doctors most however, was that she had been in good physical condition after recovering from the concussion, meaning that some kind of emotional trauma was what was most likely keeping her unconscious for an extended period of time. Thankfully though, she had woken up.

"What about Aurelia?" Glenda questioned, her voice becoming firmer. "How is she?" At this question though, her mother bit her lip and looked away, tears threatening to spill over once more. Just as she opened her mouth to answer, a guard walked into the room. He was wearing a uniform identical to her father's but his hair was brown and his pale gray eyes were cold and steely, without the barest hint of warmth or compassion.

"Ah, you're awake. Perfect. Now if you ladies would both follow me to the parlor, we have much to discuss." He spoke simply and with interest, his eyes following their every move as Selene stood up angrily, shielding Glenda from his view.

"She just woke up! You can't hardly expect her to go-"

"It's merely a trip downstairs; I'm quite certain she is able to make the journey. Isn't that right, Miss Glenda?" Though she couldn't see him, Glenda still shivered at the sound of his voice. "Now, if you would follow me." With her mother's help, Glenda slowly got out of bed, slipped her feet into a pair of pale pink woolen slippers, and walked through the door with as much dignity as she could. As they made their way into the parlor, Glenda noticed that something was wrong. Two guards stood at the doorway of the parlor, and as they entered, she noticed that her father wasn't wearing his uniform, a definite cause for alarm. Trystan Arduenna always wore his uniform, or some variation of it. He was incredibly proud to be the Captain of the Guards for the Eminence, and for him not to even be wearing his pin with the 'OZ' emblem was incredibly out of character and nerve-wracking for Glenda. She wished Aurelia was here, because whenever she was with her, everything seemed less threatening and made more sense.

"Take a seat," the man said, gesturing to the couch where her father was sitting. Glenda gingerly sat down in between her mother and father, feeling increasingly uneasy. The man remained standing, looking down at all of them with an unpleasant, amused expression on his face. "I am Aven Cage, the new Captain of the Guards for his Eminence." Glenda's and Selene's eyes widened in shock as both looked at Trystan, whose jaw was set as he stared fixedly at Cage. "In light of the recent events that have taken place, his Eminence decided that it would be more fitting if Mr. Arduenna were relieved of his duties for the time being." Cage gave what he clearly thought was a sympathetic smile but somehow didn't fit his face. This wasn't a man that was made for smiles and laughter; this was a man built for inflicting pain and suffering hardship, and his expressions and body language made that more than clear. "Now, there is someone missing, isn't there?" None of them moved, unwilling to give Cage anymore bait to taunt them with. Glenda's hand found Selene's and she held it, trying to draw comfort from her mother's touch.

"What did you do with her?" Trystan said, his voice shaking as he tried to keep it steady. Cage gave a humorless laugh.

"What did _we_ do to her? We did nothing to her; on the contrary, it's because of her that all of this has happened."

"And how is that?" Trystan inquired, refusing to allow Cage to have that final word in any matter, especially in one that concerned his family.

"She interrupted the interrogation of Kell Everdon, cast some sort of spell that injured four people, including yourself and your daughter, and escaped with him! She is now a threat to the people of Oz, and must be captured!" Cage had worked himself into a fury with his little speech, and he now glared around at them, daring them to argue. Glenda felt her blood run cold. Aurelia had injured her and Father? The memories crashed back into her in a wave: watching the "interrogation", arguing with Aurelia, her running out to try and stop it, hearing the wind roar and being slammed against a wall, then darkness.

"But she didn't do that intentionally!" She cried, surprising everyone in the room. Cage turned to his eyes on her and Glenda shivered once more at his furious gaze.

"It doesn't matter. The point is that she is now a danger to Oz and must be brought back to face justice," he stated calmly, more calmly than Glenda would have thought. He strolled back to the front and center of the room, clasping his hands behind his back and clearing his throat to speak once more. "Which brings me to what I was originally trying to tell you. His Eminence has decided that the best way to lure her out of hiding is to use the person she loves most-" Here, his eyes once again fixed on Glenda. "Her younger sister. It is his Eminence's wish that you stay in the palace until your sister is caught." At this, both Selene and Trystan jolted forward in their seats, ready to defend Glenda. But Cage flicked his hands lazily at the guards and they swept forward, one training his rifle on Glenda while the other grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her up easily, with her being already weakened from her concussion. She felt sick, her head pounding. This couldn't be happening; it had to be a dream.

"It's really nothing personal but we must do what we must to protect Oz," Cage stated coolly as the guard holding Glenda tugged her from the room while the other kept his gun on Selene and Trystan. The last thing she saw as she was bundled from the room and out of the house was Cage's triumphant smile, the sound of his laughter haunting her all during the carriage ride to the Emerald City.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I figured that since I had about five spare minutes, I'd finish up this chapter and post it. Enjoy, and thanks to all who've reviewed so far! :D**

* * *

Glenda stared out the window of her room, gazing out over the seemingly endless forest that dominated the land behind the Eminence's palace. The sun was dropping below the horizon, bathing the land in a pale pink and orange light. She remembered the times that she and Aurelia had explored the small forest that surrounded their house, and a lump rose once more in her throat. Swallowing hard, she forced it back down and blinked back the stinging sensation in her eyes. She had cried far too often for her liking in the past four days since she had arrived at the palace, but she couldn't help it. It was as though every tear that she hadn't cried, every time she had held back a sob, suddenly was released. But she had to be strong. What would Aurelia think if she came back and found her crying?

Aurelia. Just the memory of her sister caused a wave of emotions to crash over Glenda: love and worry, but also frustration and confusion. If Aurelia had come into the room at that moment, Glenda wasn't sure whether she would've hugged her sister or slapped her for causing all of this. Even if she hadn't meant to, that didn't mean that the consequences were any less severe. Glenda sighed and absentmindedly twirled a piece of her blonde hair around her fingers, an action that came involuntarily when she was deep in thought. Her cerulean eyes gazed out at the landscape, taking it all in. In the three days she was here, she had changed: she wasn't happy or bubbly, she was much quieter, and most noticeably and heart-breaking: her once sparkling eyes, which had always had a spark of happiness in them no matter what, were now more dull and lifeless. A part of her had died when she came here; the sweet, innocent girl was gone. Sighing, she shook her head to rid herself of the plaguing thoughts and turned her mind back to her situation.

Next, she thought, there were her parents. She assumed that they were being kept under house arrest, as they hadn't been taken to the palace. If they had, Cage would've made sure that she knew, most likely by coming in and gloating about it. Cage. Just the thought of him made her shiver in disgust and anger. Cage had told her that once Aurelia got word that she was being held in the palace, she would come running and then they would have her.

"Then," he'd said in decisive triumph, "She will be imprisoned, and your life will return to as it used to be." Glenda couldn't have disagreed more. If Aurelia wasn't with her, life wasn't the same as a principle. She watched as the sun disappeared over the treetops, leaving the memory of its light in the sky as the day faded into night. Somehow, she wondered, if Aurelia was watching the sunset too.

Later that night, Aurelia woke up with a start, a bead of sweat trickling down her face. Ever since that fateful day in the Eminence's palace she relived it in her sleep, the nightmares plaguing her until she was afraid to close her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the small underground room that she now called her own, her eyes adjusting to the utter blackness that filled the space when nightfall came. Only a window set high on the wall opposite her bed let in a small square of patchy moonlight. As she took calming breath she looked around the room, taking in its uneven brick walls, the beat-up leather trunk at the foot of her bed that held clothes for her to wear, the bookshelf with that was filled with books that his Eminence had banned, books that weren't even in the private collection of her father's library. Books that told the real, actual truth about the history of Oz.

_Her father. _She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to rid herself of the image that now seemed fixed in her mind: her father lying prone on the stone floor of the palace, barely breathing. And then came the inevitable follower: Glenda, unconscious and bleeding, all because of her. Involuntarily, she grasped at the pendant, taking comfort in the cold feeling of the metal against her overheated palm. Breathe, she told herself, just breathe. She sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the sound of her breathing slowly return to its normal rhythmic cadence. It was comforting to her and she stayed that way for a while longer, just letting her eyes flutter closed and letting all of the sadness and frustration slip away for a moment. The past eight days had been something of a blur, to running from the Emerald City to arriving here at the main camp of the revolutionaries, as they chose to call themselves.

After she had fled the Eminence's palace and subsequently the Emerald City, they had stopped in the forest just outside the gates. After catching their breath, Aurelia had in no uncertain terms told the boy to tell her who he was and what the hell was going on. He explained that his name was Kell, that he was part of anti-Eminence revolutionaries and that's where they were going. He said that they could help her get her family out of harm's way, and the two had set out on a week-long journey that had led here: an underground stronghold; and tomorrow, she was going to meet with the leader of the revolutionaries to discuss a plan on how to get her family back.

It all seemed so surreal, almost like a book that she read or a bedtime story her father would've told them when they were younger. It didn't seem possible that this could be happening to her, of all people. It wasn't fair! What had she ever done to deserve this? A sudden anger filled her and she clenched her fists, taking a few, controlling breaths before falling back onto her pillows as the last of the tears crept into her eyes.


End file.
